HOT SPRINGS — Fast work puts filly on radar
A stunning workout by a royally bred 3-year-old filly highlighted training Friday morning at Oaklawn Park.
Arienza, an unstarted daughter of 2002 Horse of the Year Azeri, zipped fiveeighths of a mile from the gate in :58.80 under a cool Michael Baze.
It was easily the fastest recorded 5-furlong workout of the Oaklawn meeting.
“She’s always worked, kind of where we thought there was some ability there,” trainer Dan Peitz said. “But not like that. … It was the first time she looked like her mother, I thought.”
Arienza, who worked just after the break to renovate the surface, was caught in eye-catching splits of :22.97 for the opening quarter, :34.66 for three-eighths of a mile and :46.62 for a halfmile.
Arienza, still under wraps, galloped out three-quarters of a mile in 1:11.49.
Her splits for 3 furlongs and 4 furlongs were roughly a second faster than the best times recorded at those distances Friday.
“When she came away from the gate, she wasn’t really sharp,” said Peitz, a Little Rock native. “He [Baze] kind of smooched to her and might have even tapped her on her shoulder leaving there. After that, she was just on cruise control.”
Arienza, the second foal out of Azeri, was an $800,000 Keeneland September Yearling purchase by Peitz’s longtimeclients, Robert and Lawana Low of Springfield, Mo.
Peitz said the chestnut daughter of Giant’s Causeway is one work away from her career debut, which should come next month.
“I’m probably going to need to go back to the gate and sharpen her up a little bit out of there,” Peitz said.
Also working Friday was multiple stakes winner Havre de Grace, who posted a half-mile bullet (:47.60) for trainer Larry Jones.
Havre de Grace, one of the country’s top 3-year-old fillies last year, is scheduled to make her 2011 debut in the $100,000 Grade III Azeri Stakes on March 19.
Lost connection
Oaklawn was without Internet access for Friday’s first eight races after what Bobby Geiger, the track’s director of gaming and wagering, described as a “major fiber cut somewhere in Texas” late Friday morning involving Oaklawn’s service provider, Verizon Business.
Geiger said Oaklawn’s ability to sell and cash parimutuel wagering tickets wasn’t affected, but credit card and ATM transactions in the building were halted.
“It’s certainly not something we want to suffer through [today], on a Saturday,” Geiger said. “We anticipate a big day [today].”Hobby horses
Trainer Steve Hobby of Hot Springs will be active on two fronts today, starting Tiz Miz Sue in the $100,000 Bayakoa Stakes at Oaklawn and Telling in the $125,000 Grade III Fair Grounds Handicap on the turf at Fair Grounds in New Orleans.
Tiz Miz Sue has wonher last three starts on dirt, including the $50,000 Polly’s Jet Stakes on Oct. 20 at Delaware Park to close her 3-year-old season.
“She’s been able to relax,” Hobby said. “It’s made a total difference. You can see when she’s settled off the pace, she’s had a good finish.”
The eight-horse field includes multiple stakes winners Satans Quick Chick and Taptam.
“It’s no easy spot,” Hobby said.
Telling, owned by Alex and Joann Lieblong of Conway, is a multiple Grade I winner at 1 1-2 miles (Sword Dancer at Saratoga), but will be cutting back to about 1 1-8 miles today.
Hobby said it will “open up more avenues” for Telling if he’s effective at 9 furlongs.
Hobby said he will remain in Hot Springs to saddle Tiz Miz Sue.
Final furlong
The first race Thursday and Friday was hand-timed because of a problem involving an external keyboard, said David Longinotti, Oaklawn’s assistant general manager of racing. Longinotti said the problem with the electronic timing system has been corrected. … Apprentice jockey Cassandra Buckley (broken nose) took off all her mounts Friday. … Jockey Francisco Torres took off his final three mounts Friday because of a pulled groin muscle. … Britt and Brodie, a first-time starter ridden by Perry Compton, was euthanized after breaking down approaching the eighth pole in Thursday’s sixth race. Compton, who tumbled to the ground in the accident, escaped serious injury.
Sports, Pages 26 on 02/19/2011